At last! England's bowlers strike back to avenge poor batting display and leave Aussies on the ropes

Suddenly, almost from nowhere, it felt like 2010 all over again at the MCG as England, finally recapturing the productive bowling methods that earned them so much success, had Australia on the rack for the first time in this Ashes.

Not since the very first day of the series at Brisbane have England been able to exert the sort of pressure on Australia that brought them three successive Ashes triumphs before everything went so horribly wrong for them here.

It may be a case of too little too late in terms of earning tangible success on this tour but for England a day which saw them reduce Australia to 164 for nine after their own sub-standard 255 all out was a hugely important first step on the road to recovery for them.

VIDEO: Scroll down for Charles Sale: England end the day on top

Gone! David Warner was caught by Jonny Bairstow after top-edging from a James Anderson delivery

Whack! Stuart Broad hits Rogers right in the grill as the England bowler upped the ante early on

How unpromising England’s position
seemed when they lost their last four wickets for just 29 this morning,
Mitchell Johnson taking three of them to end up with an explosive
five-wicket haul exclusively earned with the second new ball.

When
Kevin Pietersen became the fourth of those five, virtually surrendering
with arguably the most abject shot of this entire woeful series,
nothing looked more certain than a fourth English defeat in four games
here.

Yet from a position
where England seemed at least a hundred short of par, their batsmen
unable to fare any better batting first than second in this series, they
were able to take the game to Australia with their old ‘bowling dry’
tactics.

If Pietersen had
beggared belief in taking a wild slog at Johnson, betraying a total lack
of confidence in England’s tail to withstand such raw pace, then
Australia had a ‘villain’ just as culpable for them in the form of David
Warner.

Stupid: Kevin Pietersen was bowled by Mitchell Johnson trying to heave the bowler over cow corner

Thanks for coming: Johnson was imperious yet again, picking up another five-wicket haul

Come on, Kev! England were expectant when Pietersen went out to bat but he didn't last long

Meant business: David Warner (left) and Chris Rogers went into bat, with the former keen on scoring quickly

Warner may have
scored two centuries in this series, and been denied a third by a
declaration, but most of his runs have come when he has been under
little pressure and been able to play his natural attacking game with
abandon.

Here he showed a
lack of respect towards England’s attack, as he has done throughout the
series with his questionable behaviour in the field, and attempted to
play a shot a ball before hitting Jimmy Anderson up into the air.

Shane
Watson and Michael Clarke were similarly obliging towards England,
maybe with the sub-conscious air of players who have already won the
series or perhaps with the lack of care that over-familiarity can bring.

Maybe
the moment when England knew they were really in this fourth Test came
when Stuart Broad, serenaded with his usual chorus of barracking from
the Australian crowd, felled Chris Rogers with a nasty blow on his
temple.

Rogers was able to
continue and move on to a dogged half century but England at last had
someone bowling with hostility in response to Johnson and Broad was to
have his reward when he had Steve Smith brilliantly caught by Graeme
Swann’s replacement at second slip in Ian Bell.

Down: Rogers was thrown to the floor when hit by Broad's fiery bouncer but batted bravely

Ouch! The opener caught the full brunt of the ball and was cut in the face by the ferocity, drawing blood

Pleased: After shaking off the knock Rogers went on to make a half century at the MCG

Tim
Bresnan was the man who took the wicket here in Melbourne that ensured
England would retain the Ashes in that fabled series of three years ago
and now he played an important role again even though, post back
operation, he is yet to regain the pace which sees him bowl that
surprisingly ‘heavy’ ball.

Rogers
became the latest batsman in this series to give it away after he had
done the hard work to give Bresnan his first wicket and he had a second
when Johnson hit him firmly to short extra cover.

It
was a relief for England that the man who caught Johnson was Anderson
for the leader of their attack, so subdued in this series, had taken his
third wicket to have George Bailey caught behind on review but had also
spilled two other chances to reprieve Smith and, to a much more
catchable chance, Johnson.

Could've been gone: James Anderson dropped a very sharp chance to Rogers in the covers earlier in the piece

Oops: Michael Clarke was bowled by Anderson leaving one which nipped back on to his off-stump

Heavy work: Steve Smith scored slowly when he met Rogers at the crease in the afternoon session

Broad
returned to have Ryan Harris fending off to short leg and Peter Siddle
riving to cover off what became the last ball of the day to leave
Australia right up against it on what remains a virtually blameless MCG
drop-in pitch.

Throughout it
all Australia could rely on the redoubtable figure of Brad Haddin who
has been almost as important a figure in their Ashes success as Johnson
with his ability to rescue his side when the top order have failed.

Here
his latest commendable effort was not without a slice of luck when
Aleem Dar, who had missed Bailey’s edge, gave him out lbw to Monty
Panesar on 35 only to see another decision overturned by the narrowest
of margins when the predictive element of HawkEye had the ball missing
by millimetres.

Haddin is
still there but England are in the box seat. If they can turn that into
their first win of this series then it may not bring back the Ashes but
it would have a recuperative effect on them.